Section 672-4-03 - MEETINGSA.PRE-APPLICATION AND PRE-SUBMISSION MEETINGS WITH COMMISSION STAFF1.Purposea. Pre-application meetings. Pre-application meetings between the prospective applicant and Commission staff are an early opportunity to discuss a proposed project or activity. The purpose of these meetings is to identify the applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, expected processing times, applicable fees, potential concerns, and the types of information and documentation necessary for the Commission to properly assess the project. Commission staff will determine what information the applicant must provide before or during a preapplication meeting.b. Pre-submission meetings. A pre-submission meeting between the prospective applicant and Commission staff occurs after the prospective applicant has finished preparing an application for submission yet before formally filing the application. The meeting is an opportunity to review at a high level the assembled application to ensure that key information has been included prior to filing the application with the Commission. Pre-application meetings and pre-submission meetings are held for the benefit of the prospective applicant and do not bind staff or the Commission to matters discussed therein, nor limit the ability of staff or the Commission to raise further issues during the application review process.
2.Meetings Requireda. A pre-application meeting with Commission staff is required before filing with the Commission an application to create or modify the following: (1) Grid-scale Wind and Solar Energy Development;(2) Planned Development (D-PD) or Planned Recreation Facility (D-PR) Subdistricts, and their related development plans. See Chapter 10 for additional provisions;(3) Resource Plan Protection (P-RP) Subdistricts and their related resource plan or concept plan; and(4) As may otherwise be required by any Commission rule adopted after January 1, 2021.b. A pre-submission meeting with Commission staff is required before filing with the Commission an application for a zone change proposing to create or modify a Planned Development (D-PD), Planned Recreation Facility (D-PR), or Resource Plan Protection (P-RP) Subdistrict, and their related development or concept plan.3.Scheduling and Attendancea. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 4.03(A)(2) and (3), a pre-application meeting or a pre-submission meeting may be requested by a prospective applicant or by Commission staff. In either case, Commission staff will make a date available for the meeting in a timely manner.b. Pre-application and pre-submission meetings must be attended by the prospective applicant or an authorized agent. The prospective applicant may choose to have any consultants or contractors also attend.4.Waiver.Commission staff may waive the requirement for a pre-application or pre-submission meeting if Commission staff are satisfied that such a meeting would be of limited value in achieving the purposes noted in Section 4.03(A)(1).
B.PRE-APPLICATION MEETINGS WITH THE COMMISSION1. Pre-application meetings with the Commission offer a prospective applicant an opportunity to describe the intended project, and for the Commission to ask questions and identify potential concerns that the prospective applicant may choose to address in an application. Preapplication meetings are open to the public; however, they are non-binding in that the Commission makes no formal findings-of-fact or conclusions and no vote or action is taken.2. Any prospective applicant may request a pre-application meeting with the Commission by filing a request with Commission staff. The Director and the Commission Chair may, at their discretion, schedule a mutually convenient date and time for such a meeting.3. Pre-application meetings with the Commission are held for the benefit of the prospective applicant and do not bind the Commission to matters discussed therein, nor limit the ability of staff or the Commission to raise further issues during the application review process.C.SITE VISIT WITH THE COMMISSION1. The Commission may conduct site visits for informational purposes, or as part of, or in preparation for, its review of a proposal.2. A site visit in which a quorum of Commissioners is present is a public proceeding, for which public notice is required, and is accessible to the public to greatest extent practicable considering public safety and the remoteness of the Commission's service area.D.COMMISSION MEETINGS1. Notice and conduct of Commission meetings must be in accordance with 1 M.R.S. subchapter 13, 12 M.R.S. §684, and any other applicable provision of the Constitution of Maine or statute.2. The Commission, at its discretion, may provide an opportunity for comments or questions from members of the public.01-672 C.M.R. ch. 4, § 03